DIRTY DINING IN SOUTH KOREA
A corruption crackdown targets a national tradition — the free lunch,
During a recent lunch hour in downtown Seoul, amid government agencies and newspaper offices, diners lined up at cash registers to do something long considered a breach of etiquette here: split the bill.
The previous day, a widely discussed law aimed at curtailing corruption took effect in South Korea. Among other things, it bars public servants, journalists and teachers from accepting a meal worth more than 30,000 won, about $35 (Canadian), if there is a potential conflict of interest.
That alone seems likely to change the dining culture here, where tradition holds that the host or the oldest person at a table picks up the tab.
“We thought it was safest to simply go Dutch, because it’s often difficult to tell which situation constitutes a conflict of interest,” Cho Myun-mi, a teacher in Seoul, said about her lunch with colleagues and friends.
“It was awkward,” she added, “but we’d better get used to it.”
The new law, called the Kim Young-ran Act after the former Supreme Court justice who drafted it, is being hailed as a milestone in efforts to fight corruption in South Korea, where collusion between government officials and businesses is a major public concern — and where wining and dining, cash envelopes and other kinds of gifts have long been central to doing business.
Besides the restrictions on meals, the law bars people in the targeted professions — estimated to be four million out of a total population of 51 million — from accepting any gift worth more than $60, if a conflict of interest could exist. And with a few exceptions, people in those fields are simply forbidden to accept any gift worth more than $1,200.
People seem to be taking the law seriously. Schools across South Korea posted signs warning parents not to bring gifts for teachers, a common practice that has raised concerns about corruption in this educationfocused culture. Funeral directors even reported fewer wreaths were being delivered to grieving families. But restaurants seemed likely to be most affected. “We saw this law coming and have prepared special set menus that do not exceed the 30,000-won limit, retiring some of our more expensive options,” said Kim Bu-shik, who runs a restaurant in Seoul. “The new law will make our society more transparent, but I must say it is not good for our business at all, for now.”
Public grievances over corruption among the government and business elite run deep here, and calls for an overhaul have mounted in recent years. Of particular concern are the so-called sponsorship relationships that officials are suspected of maintaining with corporate executives, involving the promotion of business interests in exchange for expensive meals and other gifts. In July, Justice Minister Kim Hyunwoong offered a rare public apology after a senior prosecutor, Jin Kyung-Joon, was arrested on charges of taking millions of dollars in bribes.
The new measure does allow for exceptions, like gifts between close relatives or people who are in love, although critics say that such a sentiment is hard to define. They also say that in South Korea, where much of one’s social life is shaped by school and hometown connections, it can be hard to tell where conflict of interest begins.